Nautilus Reels relocates and declines to attend IFTD show

Nautilus Reels is to relocate to a new factory in Miami, Florida. But in less good news for the fly industry, the popular brand will not be at the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show (IFTD) show beginning next week.

“To keep up with the high demand for our reels and get them to dealers sooner, we will forgo attending the 2022 IFTD show,” says a statement from the company’s Kristen Mustad.

“In lieu of attendance costs, Nautilus will begin visiting dealers across the USA and will make a donation to the Utah Stream Access Coalition (USAC).”

Nautilus started a company-wide restructuring and re-engineering of operations at the start of the COVID pandemic, and in June 2021 began the search for a new factory and headquarters location. However, the cancellation of most pre-bookings and orders slowed production before high demand was resumed.

“As IFTD is intended to serve the interests of dealers, Nautilus has decided to remain in Miami during the show to continue production of reels that will ultimately make their way to dealers,” adds the statement. “In addition, Nautilus is setting in motion a nationwide plan to visit dealers later this year.”

Nautilus will also support water rights in Utah, home to Salt Lake City where IFTD will take place, to back the USAC’s efforts to ensure access to public waters.

“The United States’ public lands offer access to all and are unique in the world, where private land ownership limits access to the public,” says Mustad, a descendant of Ole Mustad, the founder of O. Mustad and Son. “Several states already have limited access policies, and more are trying to move in that direction. The Utah Stream Access Coalition is working hard for our access in Utah, and it is important that we support them now more than ever.”

IFTD 2022 runs from March 30th to April 1st and is preceded by a Dealer Summit on March 29th.